Community.

By the opening of the eighteenth century the Friends were one people throughout the world, though there was absolutely no bond but love and fellowship. There was no visible head to the Society, no official creed, no ecclesiastical body which held sway and authority. But instead of being an aggregation of separate units the Society was in an extraordinary measure a living group. Friends had suffered together and they were baptised into one spirit. Wherever any Friend was in trouble the world over, all Friends, however remote, were concerned and were ready to help share the trouble if it could be shared. The greatest and the best of the entire Society made their way from meeting to meeting, and from house to house even into the cabin of the settler on the frontier and they wove an invisible bond, stronger than the infallible decrees of Councils, which held the whole body together as an integral unit. Hospitality with the Quaker was not a virtue, it was an unconscious habit.
Rufus M. Jones: The Quakers in the American colonies

Today we battled a great storm to get to meeting. Well, not sure of the greatness of the storm - but it did set all of our plans awry for a Lessons and Carols meeting, and a potluck that is usually well attended. I myself had agreed to a few tasks, and I found myself preoccupied with getting coffee made, the walk shoveled, all those necessary things.

And yet as our motley soggy crew gathered today, a little cold and a little tired and a little later than planned, we settled into a true spirit of fellowship that was just enhanced by simple readings and singing. It was truly a time of sharing, without "right" or "wrong" answers - no lofty Christmas service with much expectation - just us sharing as we all do.

As a newish Friend, I still wonder sometimes how we can all stick together in the absence of a formal creed or doctrine, or even an "official" definition of how Spirit is supposed to sit with us. Our hearts know what is right. We feel the fellowship in a simple hug or a handshake, a caring comment, an effort to share a blanket or turn up the heat. They are reflections of a simple, quiet confidence in a Presence that we all feel and define in our own ways, but acknowledge in others' important yet sometimes quiet journeys. Today I felt truly blessed by a very special community. Now that I have experienced this, I will strive to create that sense of peace and belonging in many areas of my life. No rule book or creed necessary.